Legacy 1x12: Cradle of Faith
by Lady Dawson
Summary: Complete. When Connor, a young man from the future, comes to their time to warn them of a witch named Faith commiting a crime that will set forth a series of events that will change their entire future. Meanwhile, Susan discovers Brandon's true identity.
1. A Dark Future

**Legacy: Cradle of Faith**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter One: A Dark Future

Brooke Murphy was smiling happily as she walked into the kitchen, finding her best friend and roommate Susan Dawson in the kitchen, a pencil tucked behind her ear while staring down at one of her notes, occasionally checking her books for accuracy. Shaking her head in amusement, Brooke walked over to the coffee pot, which usually held hot water first thing in the morning, but to her surprise, she found actual coffee in the pot.

Staring at it, Brooke turned to Susan, who hadn't looked up from her notes since she had entered the kitchen.

"Are you drinking coffee?" she asked in amazement. Susan shrugged, still re-reading her notes for whatever final that she had that day. "Okay, weirdo, we've been friends for over two years, roommates for almost seven months, and I can count the number of times that I've see you drink coffee on one hand. Actually, with _no_ hands. You always drink tea."

"Well, maybe I just wanted coffee this morning," Susan replied, finally looking up at Brooke. "Maybe I wasn't in the mood for tea."

"Any particular reason why?"

"Tea is relaxing," Susan answered, shrugging. "I don't want to calm right now, I want to be tense."

"Huh." Brooke frowned at Susan, pouring herself a cup of coffee before walking over and sitting down at the table. "What's today?"

"Tuesday," Susan answered with a hint of sarcasm attached to it. Brooke cocked an eyebrow, showing her annoyance and Susan sighed. "We've both got English this morning and then I've got an art final this afternoon," she reminded her. "You should be studying, too, you know. If you don't pass this final, you could fail the class."

"Yeah, I'm more worried about my best friend right now than I am about this stupid final," Brooke retorted, surveying Susan critically. "Are you okay? Because I really think you don't need to be drinking coffee, you never do, which says volumes."

Susan gave her a withering look. "It's finals, Brooke. In case you haven't noticed, finals are a very stressful time and I do not want to be calm right now."

"Okay, but see, the bad thing about being a telepath? I can't exactly block out anybody's thoughts, which means that I can kind of tell that you're not worried about your finals. Besides, English and art? You've got those down stone cold." Brooke stared down at Susan. "Honey, are you worried about Ethan? Because he's fine."

"We don't know that," Susan hissed at her, finally abandoning her notes to give Brooke her full attention. "He could be dying, for all we know. He could be anywhere, because we don't know where the Amazons are. Ethan could be anywhere around the globe, lying somewhere and bleeding to death or hurt or being attacked or captured or something and I wouldn't know it because I'm sitting here, just taking these finals while he's off on a mission!"

"Okay, all valid points," Brooke reasoned. "But when you guys were together the last time, didn't he ever take off on missions?"

"Not for this long without checking in!"

Brooke sighed, leaning her head back. "Okay, you know what you need? A good, old-fashioned trip to the mall," she said and Susan gave her a look. "What, it's almost Christmas and I haven't been on a good shopping spree in _ages_. And it has been _far_ too long since you've set foot in a mall. Come on, let's go shopping this afternoon."

"Don't you have plans with Wyatt?"

"I'll cancel," Brooke said determinedly. "Because there is nothing more important than my best friend."

"No, I have to study for tomorrow," Susan said, returning her attention back to her notes. "And you should be doing the same thing. I appreciate the concern, but shouldn't you also be concerned about your finals? You really need to pass these."

"I've got them covered," Brooke said easily. Susan might be her best friend, but apparently, she had no idea how well Brooke actually did on tests. Schoolwork she didn't do okay on, but when it came down to test time, she did really well. With a smile, she took a sip of the coffee and gagged. "Uh, Susan?"

"What?"

"Don't ever make coffee again," she ordered, going over to dump it all out. "It's terrible."

"I followed the instructions on the bag!"

"Yeah, but it's still terrible," Brooke countered. Susan shook her head, giving her a curious look. "What?"

"What are you so happy about, anyway?"

Brooke shrugged, still exultant as she rinsed out the pot and started to brew some more coffee. "I don't know, things are just going really well with Wyatt, it's been over a week since that incident with that James guy, there hasn't been any demonic activity since then, and things are finally at a relative calmness around here." She smiled cheerfully. "I really think that we might be in for a nice, normal holiday."

"You just jinxed us, you know that?" Susan joked, but grew serious. "And speaking of Wyatt, I actually wanted to talk to you about that." Brooke frowned, sitting down. "Not that I'm not happy for you guys, because you guys are really great together, but why are you still seeing each other? I would've thought after that thing with Brandon, you guys would've broken up."

Brooke was bewildered. "What incident with Brandon?" she asked and then it dawned on her. "Oh, jeez, you didn't really believe that stuff that Tristan was going on about, were you? Honestly, Susan, do you really think that I would do something like that, especially after with Ryan? I told Wyatt and now I'm gonna tell you, I learned my lesson. I'm not going to check on any boyfriend ever again. But thank you for caring." With a smile, she stood up, giving Susan a tight hug before walking away, leaving a very bewildered Susan in the kitchen.

"That's impossible," Susan muttered, shaking her head in bewilderment. "I saw them . . ." But Brooke had seemed so eager and honest when she'd answered her query that if Susan didn't know any better, then she'd say that Brooke _had_ bee telling the truth.

An idea suddenly formed in her head and she glanced towards the heavens. "Brandon?" she called.

--

_December, 2046_

Connor Hale swung around the corner, dodging two demons before hurling an energy ball at them, successfully vanquishing them just as he heard the sound of orbing behind him. Before he could turn around, he felt his mother's presence and she grabbed him before orbing back to the manor, where the rest of his family was.

"Don't you do that," Susan Dawson-Hale hissed at him, looking extremely frightened as she hugged him tightly, kissing his temple. Connor held his mother tightly, burying his face into her shoulder. Ever since his father had been killed six months ago, she had been terrified that something was going to happen to him. "You had me worried sick!"

"I'm sorry, Mom," Connor apologised. "But I got something that I think is gonna work. We need to fix this, it's getting too bad out here."

His Aunt Brooke gave a small smile towards him. "Connor, sweetie, as much as I hate to say it, I don't think that we can do anything to fix it. We've been trying to fix this for years and there's nothing. We've done everything humanly possible to stop him, but we can't. I never thought we'd face anything worse than that demon, but—"

"No, listen to me," Connor begged them. He needed them to listen to his idea, his theory, because they were running out of options and more and more people were dying every single day. "We need to stop this and I've got an idea on how we might be able to do it."

His mother exchanged a look with his aunt before looking at the two Halliwell brothers Wyatt and Chris, the former who was his uncle, Aunt Brooke's husband.

"Hear him out, Sue," Wyatt advised. "It's not like we haven't tried everything else."

Susan sighed before sitting down at the couch, motioning for Connor to join her. Connor let out a relieved sigh as he joined her. "All right," she said, running her hand through her hair and giving her son and encouraging look. "Let's hear it."

"Okay, well, I was down in the Underworld, trying to get some information," Connor said, getting the worst of it over with first. His mother's mouth opened in outrage, but he continued before she could so much as say anything. "And get this, the Dark Lord's mother was a witch who was forced to bear the child of a very powerful demon."

"Yeah, we actually already knew that," Susan said, frowning. "You actually went to the Underworld to get information that we already knew?!"

Connor rolled his eyes at his mother, whose eyes narrowed dangerously. Thankfully, his Uncle Bobby intervened.

"Susan, calm down, he is sixteen, he's not a baby anymore." Turning around, Susan gave a look towards his uncle.

"What happened when _you_ were sixteen?" she challenged him. Bobby winced slightly, sinking down into the couch. Connor shook his head.

"Will everybody please listen to me?" he exclaimed. Everyone quieted. "Thank you. Now, that wasn't the only information that I got. There was a reason why his mom was picked. Apparently, right before she got abducted, Faith McKnight killed a man by accident."

That caused everyone to listen closely and Susan straightened. "A loss of blood innocence," she said softly.

"Why didn't we think of that before?" Brooke wanted to know. "But still, I don't see how this is gonna help us now."

Connor smiled before looking to his last uncle, Chris, the expert on time travel. Chris's eyes widened the moment that Connor looked at him, comprehension already dawning on his face. "Oh, no, no way, Connor," he said immediately. "I'm not sending you to the past, it's way too risky. A million things could go wrong."

"But nothing is going to go wrong and personally, I don't see how it could get any worse than it already has!"

"He's got a point," Wyatt observed, earning a glare from Susan and an annoyed look from Chris. "What? It's not like any of us haven't time-travelled before! Plus, he's kind of right. We've hit rock bottom and more and more people are dying every day. If we don't do something, then . . ." He didn't finish that particular thought. "Chris, you've done it before. Or at least another version of you did, to stop me from turning evil, remember?"

Chris sighed, running his hand over his face. "I don't know, Wy, it's pretty risky. Not to mention, I think Susan should have the final say."

"Thank you," Susan told him. "Because the answer is no. I am not sending my sixteen-year-old son into the past to change it and possibly make it worse!"

"Oh, come on, Mom, would I?" Connor said, grinning at her. His smile faltered as he saw his mother's expression and he turned serious. "Mom, please, you know you have to let me do this."

"No, you're not," Susan hissed at him.

Connor moved towards his mother, hugging her around the shoulders. "I have to do this, Mom," he told her pleadingly. "Not just for the rest of the world, but for us, for entirely selfish reasons. I want Dad back. Maybe if I go, I can find a way to stop him from dying." Susan closed her eyes, tears welding in her eyes as she thought of her dead husband. "Don't you want us to live in a world that we don't have to worry about if we're going to die every day? Where we don't have to worry about being discovered at any time?"

Susan sighed, exchanging a look with her brother and best friend before looking back at her son. "You're too much like your Uncle Ryan, you know that?" she complained. Connor grinned as she looked at Chris. "You think you cast the spell?"

"The problem's not getting him there," Chris observed as he stood up. "The problem's getting him _back_."

"But you can do it," Susan said. It wasn't a question, but Chris nodded anyway.

"Yeah, it's not a problem."

"Anyway, the date's December 17th, 2024," Connor told them. Chris and Susan exchanged looks before looking away quickly. "What? Did something happen that day that I should know about?"

"No, of course not," Susan said, a little too quickly. "It's just, uh . . . your uncle and I were . . . in a bit of a rough spot then."

"Rough spot?" Chris exclaimed, shooting her a dirty look. "You were the one who broke up with me just so you could be with your demon lover!"

"You know, I really thought after twenty-five years, you would be past that," Susan said with a hint of reprimanding. Chris's mouth twitched and he grinned.

"Come on, Sue, you know I'm just playing. I'm past that now."

"Hold on a second!" Connor protested, eyes wide. "You guys _dated?!_"

"Until your dad got back into the picture," Wyatt told him. "Be prepared, kiddo, because they're still in that post-break-up phase where Chris was still really angry at your mom and was going out, getting drunk every night, even though he was underage," he added, giving Chris a look, "and bringing homes these girls every single night—"

"I was a kid!" Chris protested. "And mad at you and Ethan," he added to Susan, shrugging. "What would you have done?"

Susan smiled. "I'm an artist," she said, striking a pose. "I would have expressed my feelings by painting extremely violent paintings, and then someone finding them and loving them and I would've made millions." Everyone laughed at this before Susan looked at her son worriedly. "Connor, seriously, be careful. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me," Connor promised her, wrapping his mother in a tight hug. "You won't ever lose me. I'm gonna change all of this. And I'm gonna bring Dad back. I'm gonna save him."

**--Opening Credits--**

Title song: "Chariot" by Gavin Degraw

Drew Fuller as Chris Halliwell

Wes Ramsey as Wyatt Halliwell

Michelle Trachtenberg as Susan Dawson

Anne Hathaway as Brooke Murphy

Hayden Christensen as Brandon James

and Shawn Ashmore as Bobby Connelly

--

AN: Okay, guys, two things. First of which, I am not getting nearly enough reviews as I have been on previous episodes. So please, please, please give me some reviews, because if you don't, I may lose interest in this series and stop writing it.

Now that I got that out of my system, the second thing is, can you guys think of actors/actresses that could play the older gang? I'm looking, but I'm having trouble finding actors that look like older versions of them. If you could help me out with this, I would be eternally grateful.

Thanks!

Lady Dawson


	2. Faith, Revelations, and Portals

**Legacy: Cradle of Faith**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Two: Faith, Revelations, and Portals

Chris Halliwell wandered through the door of P3 as his mother was sweeping up the floor, looking irritable and annoyed, but she smiled when she saw him, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Hi, Mom," he said. "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning up from last night," Piper Halliwell answered with a sigh. "Pam quit at the last minute, so I haven't had time to get anybody to replace her and your brother's working odd hours at the clinic, so I can't get him to do it, which means I'm stuck doing the dirty work until someone decides to call in."

"Well, I'd be happy to do it, but I've kind of got this other job and my boss might be kind of picky about that," Chris said, teasing. Piper shook her head, tousling his hair affectionately.

"Well, do you know if either one of the girls needs a job? Because I'm getting desperate at this point."

"I don't know. I think they're both good." Last Chris checked, Brooke was still working at a department store at the mall and Susan was at that used bookstore downtown. "Can't Aunt Paige help you out?"

"She's with a charge in Taiwan." Piper sighed as she swept up the dirt into the dustpan before turning to look at her son. "Speaking of the girls . . . how are things with you and Susan?"

Chris's mouth grew thin at those words and he skilfully avoided his mother's questioning eyes. "You know, I just remembered, I have to get to class. Finals, you know," he added quickly, turning on his heel and heading towards the door, almost slamming into a dark haired girl on the way in. "Oh, sorry," he apologised, catching her hand and pulling her to her feet before she fell.

"Don't worry about it," she said as she straightened. "Uh . . . do you know if the owner's here? I heard that there was an opening for a job here and I kind of need to get hired as soon as possible."

"Sure. Mom!" Chris called, opening the door for the girl and beckoning her inside. "What's your name?"

"Faith McKnight," the girl answered with a smile, though she looked surprised when she heard him call for his mother. "Hold on a second, the owner is your mother?"

"Yeah, I'm Chris Halliwell," he told her just as his mother appeared, giving the girl next to him a once-over before returning her attention to her son. "Mom, this is Faith McKnight, she's looking for a job."

Piper's expression cleared into relief. "Thank goodness," she said, smiling broadly. "Come on, have a seat down here. Chris," she added, looking sternly at him, "didn't you say that you have to be at class?"

Chris rolled his eyes as he climbed back up the stairs. "Good luck," he told Faith before exiting the door.

Almost the second that he walked outside into the parking lot, he found himself pinned against the wall by a very angry and upset young man, who was giving him a dangerous look. "What the—"

"Shut up!" the guy snapped, giving him a little shake. "What were you doing with my girlfriend, huh?"

Great, Chris thought, so he was dealing with a jealous boyfriend. That was so much worse than demons. Physically, this guy was a lot stronger than he was and he couldn't exactly use his powers against a mortal. "What, are you talking about Faith?"

Obviously, this was the wrong thing to say, because he slammed Chris's head against the wall. "Why were you talking to my Faith? She's out of your league, man, and she belongs to _me_. No one else. Get that through your head and stay away from my girl. Otherwise, there's gonna be consequences."

Groaning at the pressure that was being applied to his head, Chris tried to talk to the guy. "Look, would you relax? She was just asking about a job, that's it. I barely even talked to her for five seconds. All I did was introduce her to my mother, who is the owner."

Slowly, the pressure began to recede and Chris pushed the guy off of him, glaring at him. The guy was still looking at Chris like he was a dangerous bug needing to be squashed. "If I find out that you're lying . . ."

"I'm not, trust me," Chris said honestly. The last thing that he needed and wanted right now was to get his heart broken again. He was so tired of letting people into his heart and then just having it getting run over. Bianca had done it, Susan had done it, and he was tired of it. "Now, can I go? I'm gonna be late for a test."

The guy surveyed him before withdrawing his steps, letting Chris squeeze past him, heading towards his car and climbing inside, watching the guy carefully. Making a mental note to talk to his mother about it the next time he saw her, Chris backed up and moved into traffic, not noticing that the guy had gotten into his own vehicle and was following him all the way to school.

"Hey, Chris," his brother said as he climbed up the steps, passing Wyatt as he did so.

"Hey."

"Aren't you running a little bit late?" Wyatt queried, grinning at him. "I mean, isn't your final in, what, ten minutes?"

"Fifteen," Chris corrected. "I was just checking in on Mom. She's shorthanded at the club again, ever since Pam quit. But on the bright side, some girl was looking for a job right when I was leaving."

"That's good."

"Yeah, but there's something else I need to tell you about later. I see you at home in a couple hours, all right?" Wyatt looked worried, but nodded as Chris scooted up the steps, hurrying towards where his class usually met and making it into his seat about five minutes before his final started.

But all the time, he couldn't stop thinking about the girl Faith McKnight. He had a bad feeling that there was something going on that he should keep an eye on her for.

--

Despite her constant calls to Brandon, Susan was unable to get a hold of her Whitelighter all morning. Finally, she gave up and headed to class, trying very hard to get through the finals and keep her mind off of whatever was going on with Brooke and whether or not Ethan was all right. Only when she got home and was about to go to her room to study for her last final the next day did she find Brandon lounging in the living room.

"Finally," she complained. "I've been calling for you all day, didn't you hear me?"

"The first couple of times, yeah," Brandon James answered with a shrug, a trace of a smile touching his lips. "Then I put you on mute." Susan rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Well, I was kind of in the middle of something, Susie, it was really important."

"Yeah, well, maybe what I needed to talk to you about was important too," Susan said darkly. Brandon looked at her pointedly. "But I get it. What did you do with Cassandra, anyway?" she asked, knowing that he was going to take her someplace where she couldn't do any damage.

Brandon grinned. "Well, I dumped her out in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in middle Africa. And the Elders are going to keep an eye on her, just to be safe," he added to her worried expression. "Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Is Brooke here?"

"She took off with Wyatt about an hour ago, said that she wouldn't be home until late. They were gonna study at the library or something," Brandon answered, shrugging. Susan nodded, moving over to sit down in the chair across from him, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Okay, I need you to be honest with me here, okay?" she told him. Brandon nodded. "The truth, Brandon, and I mean it. If I think for one minute that you're lying to me, then I'm gonna talk to the Elders about giving me a transfer."

That got his attention. "All right, what's going on here, Susan?" he asked, looking slightly nervous.

"Why don't you tell me?" she asked him, looking at him straight in the eye. "Why don't you tell me why you erased Brooke's memories?"

Brandon froze, the blood draining from his face as he stared at her, his mouth parting slightly. "What?" he asked softly. Susan just stared at him, waiting. "How did you . . . why would you think something like that?" he finally managed to form a question.

"I saw you," Susan answered quietly. "I saw you and Brooke kissing in the bedroom awhile back and I know that probably wasn't the last time that it happened. So when I finally confronted Brooke about why she and Wyatt were still together, she claimed it never happened. I've known Brooke for awhile, Brandon. And I know when she's lying. But even though I know it happened, I could've sworn that she was telling the truth. Which means that there's only one logical explanation." Brandon looked down, shame rising into his face. "Why did you do that? A person's mind is the most private and personal thing in the world. It's something you have no right to violate!"

Susan stood up before he could give her any kind of explanation and started to pace. "You know, I was actually starting to trust you, to think that maybe your being here wasn't such a bad thing, to depend on you. But then you turn around and you do something like this. So you tell me, Brandon, how am I supposed to trust you now? Where am I supposed to put that? I would really like to know, what were you trying to do?"

"I was trying to make things better for Brooke," Brandon said quietly. Susan paused, staring at him. He was staring down at his hands, not meeting her eyes, but she could feel the pain coming off of him in waves. Why was it that she could always sense him, no matter where she was? It was a link that felt so familiar, but . . . no, that could be. It was impossible.

"What are you talking about?"

"She felt guilty about it and so did I. I . . . I hated doing it, because I knew that she did care about Wyatt and loves him. And I didn't want to put you in the middle of this, not again." Brandon sighed, looking up at her. "I'm sorry, but Brooke . . . she deserves better. And as long as she had the knowledge that she did, then she could never move on. Brooke needs to do that and I truly believe she'll find happiness with Wyatt. If I hadn't gotten involved, then she would've been happy with him." Tears were glistening in his eyes and Susan slowly sat down.

"What do you mean, move on? How can she move on from you when you guys were never really together in the first place?"

"I meant, she needs to find happiness for herself. She hasn't allowed herself to do that since your brother." Brandon cleared his throat, looking down. "Look, I'm sorry I got you in the middle of this, I really am. But please, don't tell Brooke what really happened. It'll just screw things up with her and Wyatt and that's the last thing that I want right now. I can't be with her, ever, and there's no use pretending otherwise."

"Can't or won't?"

Brandon sighed. "Both," he said, barely audible. Susan looked, really looked, at her Whitelighter for the first time and it occurred to her how very young he seemed to be. Since he was a Whitelighter, and basically immortal, she had assumed that he was the same age as he was when he died, but now Susan began to wonder if he was actually much younger than she had thought. What if he really was, still, just a boy?

Cautiously, Susan moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around him and Brandon, as though by habit, fell back, against her shoulder and Susan stilled at the familiarity of it. Even as she held her Whitelighter, trying to comfort him, her mind spun, trying to come up with an explanation when her eyes fell on a photograph of Susan, Ryan, and Brooke outside of her home in Wisconsin and her heart stopped for a second.

"I'm sorry," Brandon whispered, but she didn't hear his voice. Instead, she heard the voice of her brother, on the night that he died. His voice, his words. "I'm sorry, Susan. You know how much I love her, but I can't do it anymore. Please, Susie-girl, I'm sorry."

"Susie-girl," Susan echoed hoarsely, pulling away from Brandon, her blue eyes wide with shock. Brandon raised his head, realisation of what he had uttered fluttering into his own eyes. "Where did you hear that? Only one person's ever called me that."

Brandon opened his mouth a few times, but nothing came out.

"A Whitelighter sent here when the Elders know I've refused all that have been sent," Susan murmured. "One that acts like my brother, calls me Susie even though only those closest to me call me that, and now Susie-girl, which only Ryan called me. You know stuff about me, stuff about my family, and about Brooke. It's clear that you love her, but won't pursue a relationship with her, even though witch-Whitelighter relationships aren't against the rules anymore. Ryan's middle name was James. Our grandfather's name was Brandon. And I can feel you, no matter where you are, your emotions, sometimes." Susan couldn't even look at Brandon anymore, feeling as though she would pass out if she did so. "You knew about Ethan, even though I'm pretty sure the Elders didn't even know about that." Slowly, she raised her head. "But it can't be . . . can it?" Her voice was broken, strained.

Brandon slowly stood up, taking a hesitant step towards her and Susan backed up, shaking her head wildly. "NO!" she shouted. "No, you can't be him! You can't be! I . . . no, no, I can't do this again. Just stop it, Susan," she ordered herself. "He's dead and he's not coming back. Stop doing this to yourself, Susan!"

"Susie-girl," Brandon said softly, moving towards her again and this time, Susan couldn't find the strength—or honestly, the will—to move. "Shh, it's okay. It's okay, little sister, it's okay."

"No . . ." Susan whispered, her control breaking and she felt the tears sliding down her cheeks. "No . . . Ryan's gone, he's not coming back. I've _got_ to stop doing this to myself."

"Shh." Brandon soothed her, drawing her into his arms as she broke down into sobs and buried her face into his chest, sobbing as she fell to the ground and he lowered them both down. "Shh, Susie-girl, it's all right. I'm here. I'm right here, sis. I'm so sorry, I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't. It's okay, Susie. I'm here. I'm Ryan and I'm here, little sister. I'll always be here when you really need me. Shh, sister, I love you. Don't cry, please."

Susan couldn't stop crying, much as she struggled to cease. She struggled for several moments to stop and when she finally pulled away, tears were still sliding down her face.

"Ry—Ryan?" she whimpered, tears glistening her cheeks. "Oh, gods, please don't let me be dreaming."

"You're not," Brandon reassured her, holding his twin to him, consoling her. "Please, stop crying, Susie, you know that I hate it when you cry. It's gonna be okay."

After several moments, Susan finally drew away from him, wiping away the tears, but her eyes were still over-bright as she looked at him. "I don't understand," she whispered, shaking her head wildly. "How? Why would the Elders send you here when . . .?"

"They were worried, Susie," Brandon told her gently. "They were worried about what might happen if you were left too vulnerable. And you'd rejected other Whitelighters before, so They were left with no other choice but to send one down who you would accept. I'll admit, I was worried about what might happen once Peter got wind that you were in San Francisco."

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Susan asked, shaking her head.

Brandon bit his lip. "I was kind of hoping I wouldn't have to. That there was some way around it."

Susan gave a half-laugh, half-sob. "The others are going to freak out when they—" She stopped when implications caught up with her. "No . . . we can't tell anybody," she whispered. "If Brooke found out . . ."

"She knew," Brandon said miserably. "Why do you think I erased her memories? As long as she knew the truth, she was never going to be able to fully move on from me. She needs to do that, Susie. I love her enough to give her up."

With a small chuckle, Susan shook her head. "Okay, keeping your identity secret, worrying about our brother and my boyfriend, my friends and I are the fulfilments of an ancient prophecy, Ethan hasn't even checked in to let me know he's okay, Chris still isn't talking to me, our father's trying to kill us all. . . . Is there anything else I should be worrying about?"

As if in answer to her question, a portal opened up behind them, expelling a teenage boy, who landed right at their feet and looked around them warily, as if wondering about his location.


	3. Future Warnings

**Legacy: Cradle of Faith**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Three: Future Warnings

Wyatt had his head laying in his hand as he stared down into his books, trying to absorb as much as he could for the last few exams that he had the next day and ignore the fact that his girlfriend was sitting across from him and all he really wanted to do was take her home and spend the next couple hours enjoying her company.

"You're thinking bad thoughts," Brooke murmured with a hint of a smile and her brown eyes flickered upwards to meet his blue ones. "Come on, we can enjoy each other's company tomorrow. Right now, we have to study. Because chances are, something's going to happen that's gonna mess any future studying up."

Both of them jumped as Wyatt's cell phone rang in his pocket and he gave his girlfriend a withering look. "Brooke, you know that this is your fault for jinxing us, right?" he asked.

"You've got to change that ring tone," Brooke countered with a playful punch as Wyatt looked down at the ID and saw that it was Susan.

Flipping it open, he placed the receiver to his ear, speaking as quietly as he could and ignoring the glares that he was receiving from other students that were studying. "Hello?"

_"Wy, it's Susan,"_ the witchlighter on the other end said anxiously. _"Are Brooke and Chris with you?" _

Frowning at her worried tone, Wyatt answered, "Brooke is, but Chris is pulling a shift down at the restaurant right now. Mom really needed the extra help tonight. They were short a couple of people. Why? What's going on?" She had that 'something demonic is going on' tone in her voice.

_"Never mind, just grab your brother and Brooke get over here now. I'll explain everything when you guys get here."_ Susan hung up and Wyatt flipped his phone shut, giving Brooke a look.

"We've got to go."

"What, now?" Brooke started gathering up her books as she looked towards Wyatt worriedly. "There's a you-know-what going on now? Can't Connelly start working around our time?"

"Our jobs don't usually fit into the day planner, babe," Wyatt said jokingly. Brooke smiled faintly as she shoved her books into her bag and they headed out to find a safe place to orb back to the apartment.

"Shouldn't we get Chris?"

"Mom really needed him tonight," Wyatt admitted, running a hand through his hair. "I'd prefer not to go get him until we know for sure that we really need him."

"Yeah, but your brother's been picking up a lot of extra shifts at the restaurant. I think that he just doesn't want to be around Susan any more than he has to," Brooke said knowingly. Wyatt paused; it wasn't that he thought she was wrong. He just didn't want to admit she might be right.

"Still, let's just check out the situation before we go barging into the restaurant ad I have to endure the wrath of my mother for pulling him out of work," Wyatt said, taking her hand and orbing them both back home.

The second that they orbed into the apartment, Susan turned around to look at the two of them. She looked like she had been crying, Wyatt realised, but his attention was pulled to the kid that was sitting on the couch, holding an ice pack to his temple. Brandon was eyeing him carefully as Brooke and Wyatt entered the apartment cautiously.

"Uh, Susan?" Brooke said, drawing the attention to them. "Who is this?"

"Meet Connor," Susan said, almost brightly. "He's from the future."

--

Chris pulled his jacket tighter around him, grateful that his mother was working at the restaurant that night instead of at the club. He scanned the club carefully, making sure that his brother or the girls hadn't decided to come there that night before making his way to the bar.

Faith McKnight was already at the bar, her dark hair pulled back and her dark eyes glittering with enthusiasm as he ambled up to the bar, taking a seat at one of the stools. "Hey," she said with a grin, "Chris, right?"

"Yeah," Chris answered. "Guess Mom hired you on the spot, huh?"

"I think she was pretty desperate. She barely looked over my resume before swooping me off and showing me what I needed to do. So, you just hanging or can I get you something?"

Chris considered before leaning forward. "What do you recommend for a guy who got his heart ripped out of his chest because his girlfriend's ex came back into the picture?"

"One really mean hangover tomorrow, coming right up," Faith said, pouring the drink and handing it to him. Chris sipped the drink, wincing at the taste.

"So, uh . . . when I left here this morning, this guy pretty much attacked me on my way out," he said conversationally. Faith glanced up as she took another guy's order. "Said that he was your boyfriend. Was he your boyfriend?" he asked her.

"Kind of scruffy looking, brunette, tall with a really bad temper and kind of possessive?" Faith asked while she made the guy's drink.

"That's him."

"He's ex," Faith said, shaking her head. Chris glanced up. "He's just one of those guys who thinks that I shouldn't be anywhere but with him and I finally just got tired of it—and his mouth so I broke up with him. Of course, he can't wrap his mind around the fact that it's over, so . . ." She sighed. "I can't believe he followed me all the way from L.A. Unbelievable. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to get involved in that."

"Don't worry about it, it's okay," Chris assured her. "So . . . is he the reason why you needed the job?"

Faith shrugged. "Part of it. I also kind of needed the money for the apartment. I just . . . I needed to get away and . . . and your mom seems like a really cool person to work for. I'm not really great at being alone and . . . well, guess around here, I'm never gonna be."

Chris swallowed the alcohol, his eyes watering slightly. Whether it was the affects of the drink or not, he was actually feeling sorry for this girl. "You know, you don't have to be alone," he told her. "My brother and I, you can always come over and hang out with us, if you want to."

With a smirk, Faith placed a hand on his arm. "Let me hear that again tomorrow, when you're not under the influence."

She shook her head and moved away from him, her dark hair sweeping her shoulders as she walked over to a young couple to take care of them. Chris stared after her, a wary feeling passing through his hazy and muddled brain, but he was too oblivious to even care about what it was.

--

"Okay, let me see if I got this straight," Brooke said, holding up her hand as Connor finished explaining why exactly it was that he had come back. By this time, the cut on his forehead had stopped bleeding and Susan was bandaging it up as Connor talked. "This girl, this witch, Faith McKnight, is going to kill someone tonight and that act is going to cause this demon—"

"Ramnes," Connor supplied.

"Right, Ramnes," Brooke continued as though he hadn't spoken. "He's gonna kidnap Faith and force her to bear his child. And this kid is going to basically lead demons out of hiding and unleash them onto unsuspecting mortals, forcing witches into hiding, and war's gonna break out, throwing the entire earth into eternal darkness?"

"That pretty much sums it up," Connor answered, casting a quick glance around them. "Wasn't there supposed to be two more of you? Where are Chris and Ethan?"

Susan paused from her handiwork to look at the future boy. "Okay, how do you know so much about us?" she asked.

"Because you told me, in the future, when I was sent back," Connor said secretively. Susan rolled her eyes, waiting. "Okay, it's kind of common knowledge, but the point is, we've got to stop Faith from killing this guy. It's the only way to stop this. Please," he added desperately.

For a minute, Susan just stared at the kid before exchanging a look with Brandon, who shrugged. There was something about this Connor kid—she couldn't say what, exactly—that felt almost familiar. Of course, if she knew him in the future, as he claimed, that might explain it, but it was something more than that.

"Chris is at the restaurant, he's working a double shift for Mom," Wyatt finally answered.

"And Ethan is on a mission," Susan said, not willing to give up any more information than that at the moment.

Awareness flooded through Connor's eyes. "Oh, right, this is when he went to go find the Amazons, isn't it?" he asked cockily. Susan stilled, looking to her friends now. There was no way that he could have known about that unless they really had told him.

Unless, of course, it was common knowledge in the future. Oh, this was going to give her such a headache!

"Okay, I'm not saying that we believe you," Susan began.

"Because we really don't," Brooke cut in.

Giving her best friend a warning look, Susan continued, "But you've got to give us some kind of proof that you're on our side, because we've had just too many incidences with people who turn out to be the enemy."

Connor sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling something out wrapped in a white handkerchief, handing it to her.

Susan studied him carefully before taking it, slowly unfolding the white linen to reveal a very old and very beautiful ring lying upon the handkerchief. She uttered a soft gasp when she saw it, holding it to the light.

It was a very plain white-gold band with an old Celtic symbol on the front, engraved upon a turquoise gemstone. Her throat closed as she looked into the inside of the ring and saw the words written in the centre: _Love is Eternal._ And on the opposite side, underneath the gemstone, was the engraving _E&S._

The ring.

Her ring, which she had returned to Ethan shortly before his departure from Chippewa Falls. "I want you to keep this," she'd told him as he took the ring in his hands. "To remind you of what will always be waiting for you. I'll always wait for you, until the end of time."

This, Susan knew, she wouldn't have just handed over to a perfect stranger. Not even death could have kept her from giving it up.

Slowly, she raised her head to look at Connor, who just stared back at her anxiously. "All right," she whispered, slowly wrapping the ring back up and handing it back to him. "All right. So . . . this Faith . . . do you know where she's gonna kill this guy?"

"No," Connor said, shaking his head violently. "But I know where we can start. According to my information, she started to work at your mom's club tonight," he said, looking at Wyatt.

"P3?" Wyatt echoed. "I didn't know Mom hired anybody, but I'll call her, see what I can find out."

"Maybe you should tell her that we kind of need Chris on this one," Brooke suggested as Brandon stood up.

"Good idea," Wyatt said as he walked away, already speed dialling.

"I'll go check with the Elders," Brandon told them as he orbed out, vanishing in a trail of white lights.

"Let's check the Book for the Ramnes character," Susan said, walking towards her bedroom, followed by Connor and Brooke.

--

Bobby Connelly walked through the mansion, climbing up the steps and heading towards his bedroom, running his hands over his eyes when he heard commotion coming from downstairs.

Backtracking, he saw a homeless man barrelling through the foyer, grabbing Bobby as the demons raced after him. Bobby was about to throw him off when the homeless man's words stopped him.

"It will happen tonight," he whispered into his ear. "She who bears the Mark of the Knights will lose her blood innocence tonight. She will take the life of a mortal and will be abducted for her crime. Ramnes will plant his seed in her and she will give birth to a reign of unparalleled terror. Her son will unleash a terror upon us like nothing that will ever be seen. Stop him . . . and stop her before it's too late."

He grunted as an energy ball made contact and his eyes went wide before he slumped forward onto the ground. "Master Connelly," one of the demons said, "did he hurt you?"

"No, he just said some things that didn't make a whole lot of sense," Bobby said quietly. "It's too bad that he won't be talking anymore. It might have interested my father."

Turning on his heel, Bobby climbed back up the steps, heading into his bedroom and closing the door behind him. Once he was sure that he was alone, he picked up his phone and dialled his sister's phone. On the second ring, she picked up.

"Susan?" he said softly. "Hey, I just heard something really weird from a street prophet. . . ."


	4. Drowning Away Sorrows

**Legacy: Cradle of Faith**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Four: Drowning Away Sorrows

Brooke sat on Susan's bed flipping through the Book of Shadows while Connor lingered behind her, peering over her shoulder. "No, that's not him," he said for what felt like the millionth time to the telepath. "Keep turning, I'll let you know when it's him."

Susan wasn't paying much attention to them. She was on the phone, talking to her brother, who had called just a few minutes ago, a concerned expression on her face. "Yeah, we're working on it," she answered as Brooke looked up, slightly irritated.

"You know, you should really index this thing sometimes," she informed the witchlighter. "The vanquishing could be cut in half if you put an index in the back of this thing. Or does it go in the front?" she mused. Susan made a face at her, ignoring her.

"Okay, we'll be careful. Peter doesn't know anything about this, does he?" she asked, the anxiety in her voice evident. "All right, well, if at all possible, could you mind keeping it that way? The last thing that we need is more trouble than we've got." She nodded, looking relieved. "All right, little brother, I'll talk to you later. Yeah, say hi to Patty for me. Bye." She flipped her cell closed, looking over at Brooke, looking annoyed. "We can't put an index in there, because the book changes stuff on its own all the time. Just last week, it put in two pages worth of various prophecies about upcoming apocalypses."

"How nice of the Book to be thoughtful about warning us about stuff that's going to destroy the world," Brooke complained. Susan shot her a look. "I know, I know, they're probably going to come in handy someday. What did Bobby want? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, except for the fact that some street prophecy just broke into his house and alerted him about a witch who is going to kill an innocent tonight." Susan sighed as she sat down on the bed. "He said that she'll bear the Mark of the Knights."

"McKnight," Connor said and she nodded. "So I don't get it. If you guys knew about this in my future . . .why didn't you stop it?"

"Maybe we didn't," Susan answered thoughtfully. "The future changes all the time, Connor. Maybe something happened that caused Bobby not to get the message to us the first time. We're just gonna have to make sure that we change yours. Nobody should have to grow up on the battlefield." She gave him a small, affectionate smile and he smiled back, sitting down next to her.

"Well . . . just in case, you should probably update the section on Greek mythology," Connor suggested. Susan stared at him and Brooke glanced up in bewilderment. "It's gonna come in handy in a few years."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said dryly. Connor grinned at her and she frowned. "You know, I don't believe that you told us your last name."

"I know," he said innocently. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Susan opened her mouth to argue when Brooke let out an exclamation.

"Ew! Gross!" She was looking down at one of the pages in the Book in disgust. "Is this your guy?"

Connor looked. "Yep. That's him."

"Seriously needs to work on his skin tone," Brooke grumbled. The picture had a very grotesque demon with skin made out of molten lava. At least, that was her best guess as to what it was. "Okay, Ramnes is an Upper Level demon who emerges from his hidden lair every hundred years to find a worthy candidate to bear his child. Fortunately, all the mothers before haven't been strong enough to carry the baby to term."

"Guess he's never impregnated a witch before," Connor guessed. "Does it have a vanquishing potion?"

"Yep, but how are we gonna find Daddy?"

"We'll work on that later. First things first, we should make the potion and then try and find Faith. At least that way we'll be prepared if we can't stop her from killing this guy and Ramnes shows up." Susan picked up the Book and headed to the kitchen as Wyatt was hanging up his phone.

"Did you find anything out?" Brooke asked as she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Yeah," Wyatt answered, looking distracted. "I talked to Mom and she did hire a Faith McKnight as a bartender today at P3. So I'm thinking we should head over there and keep an eye on things, see what we can find out."

"Okay, why don't you and Brooke do that while Connor and I stay here and work on the potion?" Susan suggested. "We can catch up with you guys later." Wyatt hesitated, looking nervously between his girlfriend and her best friend. "What? What's with the look?"

"Well . . ." Wyatt looked down. "I asked Mom if Chris could meet us there and she said he wasn't working tonight. She hasn't seen him since this morning, when he left for one of his finals."

Connor looked worried as Susan bit her lip, her eyes narrowed in apprehension. "Okay . . . where could he possibly be?" she asked, frowning as she set the Book down on the table. "It's not like Chris to lie about working and then just disappear."

"Maybe he forgot which day he worked and then went to hang out with some friends after one of his finals," Brooke suggested.

"On a school night right before finals?" Susan pointed out.

"Right." Brooke looked worriedly at Wyatt. "Maybe we should start a search party."

"Sounds like a good idea," Wyatt agreed as Connor looked panicked.

"Hello?! People, do I need to remind you that we have less than twelve hours before Faith is going to be impregnated with Ramnes' demonic spawn?" Connor looked at them desperately. "Look, I care about Chris too, but this can wait. And I assure you, he's perfectly fine in the future."

"Yes, but it's like Susan said, the future could have changed," Brooke pointed out smugly. Connor pierced his lips together as Susan closed her eyes, releasing a clap of thunder overhead, causing everyone to jump.

"Was that really necessary?" Brooke muttered, her hand going to her heart as it felt as though she had run a mile.

"Apparently," Susan grumbled. "Look, here's what we're going to do. We'll leave a note here and at your place, telling Chris what we're doing. You guys call his cell and a couple friends on your way to P3. If he still doesn't answer, then when we get there, Connor and I will deal with Faith while you guys go and look for him."

"I agree," Wyatt said, nodding. "Come on, we'll take my car."

Susan watched them go before turning to Connor. "Come on," she said as she bent down, searching the cabinets for a pot to cook the potion in. "We've got a potion. Can you get the ingredients out of the cabinets?" she asked, pointing to where the ingredients were."

"Sure."

--

"Okay, just out of curiosity, how exactly are we going to track this Faith down?" Brooke wanted to know as she climbed out of his car, heading towards the entrance to P3. Normally, they would've waited patiently in line, but this was an emergency, so they took the back entrance. "I mean, your mom doesn't even know she's a witch, right? So we're just supposed to go around asking, 'Hey, are you a crazy psycho who's going to give birth to the future Source of All Evil?'"

"Oh, jeez," Wyatt grumbled, running his hands through his blond hair. "Look, we'll find her, all right? And my guess is that that'd be here right there," he said, nodding to a dark-haired girl serving drinks.

"How do you figure?"

"Well, for one, she's the only bartender I don't recognise," Wyatt said with a shrug. "And for another . . . look at the necklace." Brooke looked and saw that she was wearing a Celtic necklace around her neck, glinting in the weak light. "I'd say that we've found Miss McKnight." He glanced at his phone for the hundredth time. "Hey, why don't you go ahead and keep an eye on her. I'm gonna give Chris another call, see if he answers this time."

"Sure, but if he hasn't picked up for the first hundred times, what makes you think he'll pick up for a hundred and one?"

Brooke gave him a smile as she walked past him to the bar and got Faith's attention, ordering a drink. Wyatt shook his head. "Man, I love that girl," he murmured as he put the phone to his ear, waiting for the receiving end to pick up when he heard it.

Chris's ring tone coming from somewhere within the club. Frowning slightly, he kept the phone ringing as he moved towards the sound, trying to focus it out as it was drowned out by the music. "Come on, Chris, where are you?" he muttered, trying to track him with telepathy, but as usual when he didn't want to be found, Chris was blocking him.

Brooke suddenly appeared next to him, her hand slipping into his. "Your brother's here," she said, nodding towards the bar. Wyatt looked and saw that Chris was downing himself in a large cup of alcohol. "And from the looks of him, I'd say that that's his fourth of fifth one."

Letting out a sigh, Wyatt shook his head. "Great," he said, throwing his head back. "When Susan and Connor get here, things are going to get ugly. There is no way that I'm going to be able to keep a drunk Chris from getting into some kind of confrontation. It's a good thing Ethan's not here."

"Don't jinx it," Brooke ordered as he headed towards Chris. She suddenly stilled. "Wyatt . . ."

"What?"

She looked around, a worried look crossing her face. "I don't know, but I just thought I heard something . . . him," she said, nodding indiscreetly at a young man that had a hostile appearance floating around him. Wyatt looked at him, then towards his girlfriend. "He's watching Faith, making sure that she doesn't hook up with anybody. He's thinking about hurting her."

Swallowing, Wyatt looked towards the man that Brooke had indicated. "So maybe Faith didn't exactly kill him on purpose," he said slowly. "Maybe she was just trying to protect herself." Brooke nodded anxiously as they looked towards Faith. "Okay, divide and conquer. You keep and eye on Faith and her stalker, I'll take care of Chris."

"Okay." Brooke wandered over to a spot at the bar as Wyatt cast a wary glance towards the man before heading over to his brother.

"Hey, little brother," he greeted with his arms folded across his chest, glaring down at Chris. "Fancy meeting you here. I must really be losing it, because, funny, I didn't think that you were of legal age."

"Go away, Wyatt," Chris grumbled.

"And Mom's gonna kill you when she finds out that you've been drinking in her club," Wyatt added. Chris chose not to respond to this. "But first things first, I'm gonna take you home. Come on, buddy, let's go," he said, trying to get hold of Chris, who shoved him back.

"Get off me, Wyatt!" he hissed at him with blazing green eyes. "I don't need your help! Just leave me alone!"

"What is your problem?" Wyatt snapped, well aware that they were causing spectators. "Just because you're having a few problems doesn't mean that you can drown your sorrows away! Let me give you a hint, Christopher, it doesn't make them go away! It just makes you feel the pain more when you finally feel again."

"Whatever," Chris sneered. "I'm not the one who's with a girl screwing around behind your back. Oh, wait a minute, I was," he mused. "But you're the one who's pretending like everything's fine."

"All right, that's enough," Wyatt snapped, grabbing hold of Chris's arms and hauling him to his feet. "We're going outside, Chris, now. Move your feet!" he ordered. Whether it was the punch line about Brooke or not, he was getting sick of Chris's attitude really fast.

When they were finally outside, Wyatt pulled him towards the car. "Okay, I'm not going to yell at you right now, because I know perfectly well that you won't remember this in the morning. What I am gonna do is I'm going to take you home and let this wear off. Let's just . . . find a safe place to orb," he sighed as he let his brother away towards an alley.

"You're making this all too easy, boy," a drawl came towards them and Wyatt spun around to see the same man Brooke had pointed out earlier right behind them.

With a gun in his hand.

Pointed directly at his brother.

It took all of Wyatt's willpower to stay calm and push his brother behind him. He heard Chris collapse onto the ground, unable to support himself, before vomiting on the ground.

"What do you want?" Wyatt demanded, placing himself between his brother and the gun.

"Well, I saw him looking at my girl earlier," the man replied, menace in his voice. "And nobody looks at my girl and gets away with it. Nobody."


	5. A Dangerous Love

**Legacy: Cradle of Faith**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Five: A Dangerous Love

Susan glanced over at Connor as she stirred the potion, tossing in the various ingredients that the potion called for as she watched him curiously. There was something about this kid . . . she couldn't put her finger on it exactly, but she could sense something about him that . . . she didn't know what. But there was something about him that she felt like she should know. As though there were more to him than meets the eye.

Shaking her head to clear it, the witchlighter looked down at the potion, tossing in the mandrake as she stirred the potion.

"Okay, so what comes after the mandrake root?" she asked Connor, who was bent over the book, reading the recipe to her. He brushed his brown hair out of his blue eyes, looking up at her.

"Just toss in the thyme leaves and we should be good to go," he answered, nodding to the leaves that were sitting opposite of her. Susan nodded as she picked up the thyme leaves, stepping back gingerly and tossed it into the pot, causing an explosion that, if she had been any closer, would have blasted her off of her feet.

"Good reflexes," Connor observed.

"Yeah, I've been thrown back one too many times from potion making," Susan responded darkly, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Okay, let's get some vials and then get to P3."

"So can I just ask you something?" Connor asked as she retrieved a few vials and began pouring some of the potion into each of them. Susan nodded without taking her eyes off of what she was doing. "Were you in love with Chris?"

His question caught her off guard and she looked towards Connor in shock and surprise, her mouth opening slightly. "What?" she asked, more out of surprise than of any annoyance.

"Were you?" Connor asked hesitantly, as if he wondered if this was an appropriate question to ask her.

Susan stared at him, wondering at what was the cause of his curiosity, but it wasn't that hard a question to answer. "No," she answered at long last. "No, I wasn't. I never let my heart go that far. I . . . I gave my heart away long before I met Chris and I never asked for it back. A part of me knew, deep inside, that if Ethan ever came back, then I would go back to him, no matter where I was or who I was with. I couldn't fall in love with Chris, but I did grow to care about him. In a way, yes, I suppose I do love him. Just not the way that he needs to be loved. Not that way," she said softly, her eyes quiet.

Connor nodded silently, his blue eyes avoiding her gaze as she looked at him now. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well . . . because . . . I just wondered," he finally said vaguely. Susan shook her head in amusement as she tossed him a couple potions and pocketed a few of her own. "He's gonna be okay, you know. D—Ethan," he said quietly, but Susan's sharp ears caught the near miss and she raised her eyes.

"What?"

"What, what?"

"What were you about to call him?" she asked sharply and Connor shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. Was it even possible? she wondered as she stared at the young man who had come all the way from the future to rescue them from certain darkness.

"I . . . can we get this over with?" Connor asked quickly. Before she could even protest, he shimmered away, leaving her gaping after him, realisation falling down upon her.

Of course.

Who else could he be?

He knew stuff about them, claimed to know them in the future, the Book of Shadows trusted him when it barely let anybody other than a Cromwell heir touch it. He had her own features in his face and characteristics that was a mixture between her and her demon lover . . .

Connor had her eyes . . . and it was rare that she saw anybody with that exact shade of eyes, that vivid blue. Susan's blood trembled as realisation settled down upon her.

Perhaps worried about revealing who he was, he hadn't given them his last name, but her grandmother's maiden name had been O'Connor.

Connor.

Connor Hale.

Her son.

Hers and Ethan's.

Almost trembling with realisation and awe, Susan orbed after her son, hardly believing the truth that she had come to realise.

--

She knew. Connor knew that she knew, even as he shimmered away, landing in the back room of P3. It was different than the P3 that he had grown up with before it had been demolished by war, but it still had the feel of Piper Halliwell that he relished at seeing. Less than a minute later, Susan orbed next to him, but to her credit, she didn't say anything, just gave him a knowing smile before squeezing his arm and leading him away from the back room.

"What the—" she uttered as she saw Chris being led away by Wyatt out of the club, looking worse for the wear. "What's wrong with him?"

"Drunk," Connor offered, taking one look at who would become his uncle in the future before making his way through the club. "Look, there's Brooke. And that's Faith," he added, seeing the woman who would be the mother of the destroyer of their world, managing to hold back his anger.

"It's not her fault," Susan said, almost cautioning. "She didn't ask for that future, Connor. We don't even know what really happened. For all we know, this might not even be her fault."

"Right, well, in my book, when you kill somebody, that counts as a pretty big mistake," Connor said, his blue eyes flashing. Susan frowned at him as they made their way towards Brooke.

"Hey, guys," Brooke said cheerfully as Susan took a seat next to her. "You just missed Wyatt, he went to go sort . . . some problems out," she completed with a forced smile.

"You don't have to pretend, Brooke," Susan said, giving her a sideways look, "we already saw Chris. How drunk was he?"

"I'd say about four or five cups in." Brooke shook her head. "That boy needs help," she said with a sigh, leaning her head back.

Susan's shoulders sagged. "I know. But he's not going to get it acting this way," she said quietly.

"He'll be okay," Brooke said dryly as she swirled around her drink, taking a sip from it. "By the way, there's a guy here that I've been getting some major bad vibes on. He's got some seriously twisted thoughts for Mommy," she said, her eyes drifting towards Faith meaningfully.

"Which one?" Connor asked immediately, scanning the crowd. Brooke frowned, looking around.

"Shoot. He's not here anymore," she complained just as the dark haired witch Faith McKnight walked over to them.

"Who's not here?"

"This . . . guy who was watching you earlier," Brooke said weakly. "He was . . . a little taller than mean, cropped brown hair, and these dark brown eyes. Had sort of a dangerous look to him. You didn't know him by any chance, did you?" she asked as Faith's eyes had suddenly grown wide with fear.

"He was here? Where?" she asked, looking around.

"I don't know, I lost sight of him," Brooke apologised. "I'm sorry, I had a bad feeling about him and I thought I should . . . who is he?"

Faith looked towards Brooke, Susan, and Connor. "He's my ex," she said softly. Susan frowned at her anxious expression.

"Is it that bad?" she asked. Faith glanced at her. "Look, Faith," she said, saying her name as though they had already been introduced. "We don't have time to explain right now, but something very bad is going to happen. And I think that we both know your ex is involved. So please, just trust us."

For a moment, Faith looked at her. "Who are you?"

Now was not the time for half-truths, Susan decided. "My name is Susan Dawson. This is my best friend Brooke Murphy. And this is Connor," she added, looking to her son. "We're witches. Connor is from the future and he came back to prevent something very bad from happening. Just tell us about your ex and maybe we can help."

For a moment, Faith just looked down at her, not sure whether or not to trust her. Then she glanced over her shoulder. "Hey, Jamie, I'm going to take my break now, all right?" she asked.

"Sure thing!" Jamie called back.

Faith moved out from the bar and motioned them to head out of the club, into the parking lot. "A couple of years ago, I met this guy," she said quietly. "His name was Eugene Maxwell, but everybody called him Max. For the longest time, I thought he was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. He took care of me and . . . I felt loved. Turns out that it was only short lived," she said with a harsh laugh. "One day, I was late getting home from work and he was pretty drunk. Accused me of going and sleeping around, even though I found out later that he was doing that very same thing.

"Anyway, he landed me in the hospital that first time," she said shakily. "I remember waking up and not knowing where I was and how I'd got there. Then the nurse came in and told me that I'd fallen down the stairs." She laughed mirthlessly. "Falling down the stairs . . . that was the best that he could come up with."

"But you stayed with him," Brooke said, shaking her head. "How could stay with someone who treated you like that?"

"Brooke . . ." Susan said sharply. "What happened next, Faith?"

The dark-haired witch shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. "I . . . I went back and he apologised, promised me that he would never do anything like that ever again. And he kept his promise, sort of. Just resorted to beating me whenever he felt the need arise, in places that people couldn't see." She lifted her shirt slightly and Susan gasped upon seeing the black and blue bruises upon her chest, fading slightly, but recent.

"A couple of weeks ago, he put me in the hospital again, this time caused by the bookstand falling on top of me," she said sarcastically. "That was when I finally had enough and I tried to figure out a way to leave. Only when my mother died did I finally find it."

"She bound your powers," Susan guessed. "And then they were released."

"I didn't know what was going on at first," Faith said, shaking her head. "I thought I was going crazy when my aunt sent me this Book of Shadows and I finally figured everything out. That was when I finally managed to escape from Max and leave L.A. to come here." She shook her head. "I won't go back to him, not ever. If I have to kill him . . . I might just."

"Why don't you go to the police?" Susan replied, shaking her head. "Killing someone is not the answer, Faith. I'll admit that he might deserve it, but we're not punishers of the guilty. We protect the innocent. It's not up to us to decide who lives and who dies."

"And besides that," Connor added, speaking for the first time since they had arrived, "you might do something worse than what you intend. Instead of trying to achieve justice for yourself, you could be condemning the entire future to a darkness that nobody can surface from. You could be leaving yourself open for the darkness to seep through."

Faith stared at him, then at the two girls. "Okay, what's Future Boy talking about?" she asked, confusion evident in her eyes. Susan and Brooke looked at each other. "You still haven't explained who exactly the two of you are and what you needed to know about this for."

Susan sighed, knowing there was no way out. So long as they talked to Faith, then there was pretty much a guarantee that Max wouldn't be showing up and then—

"You're making this all too easy, boy."

All four of them whirled around at the menacing voice and Susan closed her eyes, plunging into her precognitive powers to try and sense where the danger was coming from.

"Over there!" she said quickly, pointing towards an alley and led the way towards where the danger was, not at all shocked to see the Halliwell brothers in the mess of it.

"Max, what are you doing?" Faith shrieked, her dark eyes alarmed as she saw the drunk Chris lying on the ground. "_What are you doing?!_"

"Well, well, Faithy, come to see the show?" Max said with a sneer. "You came just in the time for the finale." He cocked the gun to point in directly at Wyatt, who was shielding his brother from the danger as a gunshot rang out.


	6. Saving the Future

**Legacy: Cradle of Faith**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Six: Saving the Future

Susan screamed as Max pulled the trigger, grabbing Connor and Faith, pulling them to the ground as Wyatt ducked for cover while shielding Chris with his body. Brooke took cover behind some trash cans as Susan glanced up at the lunatic who was whirling around the pistol.

"What do you think you're doing?" she yelled at him as Faith let out a soft moan, clutching her chest painfully. Connor moved towards her, helping her to stand as she painfully got to her feet, taking care of her injured ribs.

"I'm here to take my girl back to where she belongs and if you were smart, little girl, then you'd stay out of my way," Max sneered at her, his eyes dark with menace.

"Well, with a boyfriend like you, I can't imagine why she'd want to leave," Brooke countered as she moved to stand next to Susan, who was in front of Faith and Connor. "We're gonna do you a favour. Just turn around and walk away and we'll give you a five minute head start before we call the police. Heck, you might make it out of California if you're smart."

Max laughed menacingly as he leered at her. "And what makes you think that two little girls are going to scare me away?"

Brooke's dark eyes narrowed. "You don't want to mess with us," she growled at him.

"She's a hair-puller," Susan added helpfully.

"And besides," Chris added, his voice slightly slurred and stumbling over his feet as he managed to stand up with his brother's help. "It's not just two 'little girls' that you're going to have to worry about." His green eyes were unfocused as he looked at Max, but Susan noted he was still slightly sober from the way that he understood everything that was going on around him.

"You're dealing with all of us," Wyatt assured Max, who hesitated as he tried to point the gun, unsuccessfully, at all of them. "How many bullets you got in there, buddy? How many of us can you kill before you have to start shooting at police? Because somebody's bound to hear the noise and call them."

Max swore at him, his teeth gritted. "You people should really stay out of this," he hissed.

"Where have you been, Max?" Susan asked him. "It's 2024 and beating up your girlfriend is against the law."

"It's not like it's going to do any good," Faith whispered, trying to move past Susan, who blocked her. "The police never do anything; I have to take the law into my own hands."

"And if you do that, that's when you cross the line from being a protector of the Innocent to a punisher of the guilty," Chris told her, not unkindly. "We were given these gifts for a reason, Faith, and they weren't to punish, they were to protect. I get how you feel this way, I do. But it's not our job to deal out punishment like this. No matter how a person treats us," he said, casting a quick glance at Susan, who met his eyes evenly before looking away.

"What are you people talking about?" Max demanded, looking around at them all.

"Let me let in on a little secret of the world, Max," Susan said sweetly. "The world that you think that you live in doesn't exist. Even though you're an evil, careless excuse for a human, there are things that are far worse than you in this world. And we're chosen to stop it. Now why don't you hand over that gun before somebody gets hurt?"

"Namely you," Wyatt put in, still supporting his brother as he glared at Max, who hesitated as he looked between all of them, seeming to realise that he was outnumbered.

Faith was looking at Max with such hatred that Susan wondered if somebody should get her out of there, because she had no doubt that she meant what she had said; she would kill Max if he tried to hurt her again. And it would unleash a series of events that nobody would be able to stop. They wouldn't be able to stop the terror that was the future that Connor had just come from.

But Faith just pushed Susan's hand out of the way as she walked forward, her dark eyes glittering with hatred and vengeance. "I want you to know, Max," she said finally, her voice calm. "That I am going to forget you after this moment never think of you again. But if you think of me or if you come near me or any of my kind ever again, I swear, you will be rotting in jail cell for years to come. I'm not the same girl that you beat up on. I've changed."

Max swallowed. "You're not afraid of me anymore," he commented. Faith shrugged. "You'd really call the police, after everything that I've done for you?"

"And what about everything that you've done _to_ me?" Faith countered. "If I'd stayed, how long before you killed me? If I'd stayed, I might be dead right now." She took a step closer. "Now get out of my sight."

For a moment, her ex just looked at her, then swallowed at the dangerous look on her face. Taking a step away from her, he dropped the gun onto the ground and fled, never once looking back. Faith took a long breath as she sank to her knees, her shoulders trembling. Susan was the first to move, kneeling down beside her and setting a hand on her shoulder.

Faith let out a small sob and buried her head into Susan's shoulder, the tears that she had held back for too long finally surfacing. The witchlighter wrapped her arms around her, holding the witch tightly as she let out all of the sorrows, fear, and anguish that she head kept buried for far too long.

Only when Faith managed to get control of herself did Susan pull away and help her to her feet.

"Now what?" Brooke asked her. "I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but what about Ramnes? He's still going to come out of hiding tonight and how do we know that he's not going to make someone else bear his child?"

Susan opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, an explosion erupted not ten feet away, sending all of them backwards. Faith gasped upon seeing the demon that emerged, his red eyes gleaming at her.

"Finally, the witch who will bring my child forth!" he hissed at her. "I have chosen you, Faith McKnight, as my bride and mother of my child!" He waved his hand at her, but nothing happened.

"Your plan failed, Ramnes," Connor taunted as he walked up behind him. "She's still pure. You can't take her."

He hurled a potion bottle at the demon and it struck, causing fire to explode around Ramnes and he howled in pain and anguish and rage, turning into a ball of fire before he exploded, leaving nothing but a scorch mark on the blacktop where he had stood.

"I love it when they clean up after themselves," Wyatt commented as he hoisted his brother up. "Come on, little brother, let's get you home and you can throw up everything that you put into your stomach." He looked at the girls. "Will you guys be all right?"

"We took care of the bad guy, we should be okay for the rest of the night," Brooke assured him as she walked over and kissed him. "Go take care of your brother, we'll be fine."

The moment that Wyatt orbed Chris back to the apartment, Susan looked around at the group. "So, anybody up for partying?" she asked. Connor, Faith, and Brooke all raised their hands. "All right, let's go," she said cheerfully as they headed back into P3, where she found Bobby and Patty's band setting up on stage.

Bobby saw her and gave her a smile in greeting before sending a slightly questioning look. Susan smiled at him and gave him a reassuring nod and a thumbs up sign, letting him know that everything was fine. He grinned as he slid the guitar over his head before looking at his friends and they began to play.

We belong together  
like the open seas and shores  
wedded by the planet force  
we've all been spoken for  
The hammer may strike, be dead on the ground.  
a net to my hand, a cross on his crown.  
we're done if, who we're undone,  
finished if who we are incomplete.  
as one we are everything,  
we are everything we need.  
we belong together  
like the open seas and shores  
wedded by the planet force  
we've all been spoken for  
What good is a life, with no one to share,  
the light of the moon, the honor of a swear.  
we can try to live the way in which you speak,  
taste the milk of your mother earth's love,  
spread the word of consciencness you see,  
we are everything we need  
We belong together  
like the open seas and shores  
wedded by the planet force  
we've all been spoken for  
All this indecision  
all this independent strength  
still

we've got our hearts on safe  
we've got our hearts on safe  
someday when you're lonley,  
sometime after all this bliss,  
somewhere lost in emptiness,  
I hope you find this gift...  
I hope you find this gift..  
I hope you find this gift.

"I want to thank you guys for helping me tonight," Faith said suddenly and Susan looked over her, well aware of how lost the dark-haired witch looked. "I've . . . I've never been good at being alone. Maybe that's why Max found me, because I was an easy pick."

"You can't think like that," Susan told her. "Besides, you'll never be alone here, Faith. So long as we're around, you won't be alone. That's what friends do for one another."

A small smile passed across Faith's lips. "Friends?" she echoed, looking happy at the word.

"Well, I think we've got the potential," Brooke offered and Susan grinned, looking sideways at Connor, who looked pensive for a minute.

"What's up, buddy?" she asked her son, who was tapping the counter carefully, his blue eyes curious.

"Well, there's just one thing that I'm curious about," Connor said after a minute, turning in his chair to look at the three girls. "If Max went after Chris and Wyatt in my future, then how come they didn't know about it when I said that I was coming here?"

"Maybe they didn't connect the dots," Brooke offered. "I mean, we didn't even know that Faith was a witch until you told us about it." Connor paused and conceded her point.

"We may never know what really happened in your future, Connor," Susan told him gently. "And it really doesn't matter. It's changed. That dark future you came from doesn't exist anymore."

Connor grinned happily as he glanced up towards the stage, his eyes lingering on Patty and Bobby, singing together with stealthy smiles towards each other. "Yeah, well, I can't wait to get home. I want to see my mom and dad so badly."

"I'm sure they're waiting for you," Susan said, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, Connor, we'll get you home."

"That demon," Faith spoke up. "Was he the reason you travelled back here? Was he really going to . . ."

"Impregnate you with his demon child?" Brooke said helpfully. "Yep. And your son would've taken over the world and send witches into hiding, the world would've been sucked into darkness, yada, yada, yada . . ."

"Okay, that's getting really annoying," Susan told her, rolling her eyes. "Okay, let's listen to a couple more songs and then let's get back to the apartment."

"Friends of yours?" Faith guessed, nodding towards the stage.

Susan smiled faintly, looking back at her little brother and his girl. "It's kind of a long story," she said with a sigh. "I'll tell you someday, when it's safe to tell."

"Don't worry," Connor said, grinning. "Everything's gonna turn out fine on that end. He'll be okay."

"Still," Susan said quietly, "that doesn't give me much comfort."

--

AN: The song that Bobby and Patty's band sings is Gavin Degraw's "We Belong Together."


	7. Two Homecomings

**Legacy: Cradle of Faith**

by Lady Dawson

Chapter Seven: Two Homecomings

Wyatt held his brother's head over the toilet as he vomited once again, the smell of alcohol making him almost want to be sick. Chris groaned as he got to his feet, still looking ill. "That's got to be the last of it," he muttered as he pressed his head against the counter.

"Here's hoping," Wyatt said with a sigh. "You mind telling me what you were thinking? You know better than to drink, especially in Mom's club! What if somebody had seen you, like Uncle Henry?"

"Look, Wy, could you mind yelling at me tomorrow when my head doesn't feel like there's a bomb going on inside of it?" Chris groaned as the sound of orbs appeared in the apartment and the girls appeared with Connor and Faith. "Do you have to do that so brightly?"

"Isn't he sobered up yet?" Susan asked, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, you think that you'd know better than that."

"Shut up, Sue," Chris groaned with his head still against the counter. Susan shook her head as she walked over to the cabinets and began pulling various ingredients out and mixing them together. Within a few minutes, she was carrying a sickly looking mixture over to him. "What's this?"

"Just drink it," Susan instructed. "And whatever you do, don't smell it or ask what's in it." Chris glared at her, but obeyed, pinching his nose together and downing the mixture in one gulp.

Judging from the look on his face, Susan was probably glad that looks couldn't kill people, Wyatt decided as Chris looked like he was going to throw up again and his face was slightly green as he managed to keep whatever she had just put into his stomach down.

"Susan! What the heck did you just give me?" he yelled at her. She gave him a smile.

"I just said, don't ask what's in it," she said sweetly. Wyatt chuckled and Chris scowled at her. "Besides, do you feel better?"

Chris opened his mouth to yell at her so more, but then he seemed to realise that he did seem a bit better. "Yeah, actually, I do," he confessed, looking down at the empty glass. "What is that?"

"Just a home remedy that my mom taught me after Ryan came home drunk a time or two," she answered with a shrug. "Personally, I think she only gave it to him so that he was sober enough to be yelled at. My brother was a lousy drunk," she added, shaking her head. "But moving away from that subject, we need to Connor here home." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Think we can come up with a spell?"

"Between the six of us, I'm sure we can come up with something," Brooke said cheerfully.

"I really appreciate it," Connor said as they headed out of the boys' apartment and into the girls' to retrieve Susan's Book of Shadows, laying it on the counter.

"Connor, you came all the way from the future to stop me from killing my ex and getting impregnated with a demon spawn," Faith said with a grin at him. "Of course we're gonna help you get home."

"And it looks like somebody's giving us some help," Susan said with a small, wry smile. Everyone looked around at her as she looked down at the Book and Connor came around to peer over her shoulders. Wyatt glanced over at the page and saw the title. _To Return a Witch to Their Own Time_.

"Was that there before?" he wanted to know, doubting that it was. If her Book was anything like their family's Book, then it probably added things all of the time.

Susan shook her head as Brooke wandered over to look. "Hey . . . isn't that Ryan's handwriting?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah," Susan said softly, glancing upwards towards the heavens. "I have a feeling that he's watching over us a lot more than we think." Brooke smiled as she wrapped her arms around her best friend.

When she pulled away from the hug, Susan turned towards Connor. "All right, buddy, you ready to go home?" she asked as she walked towards him. Connor bit his lip, looking down. "Hey, don't worry," she said, lifting his chin up. "Everything's gonna be fine. Your family's waiting for you."

Connor nodded and, surprising everyone, wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a tight hug. "Thanks for everything," he uttered before saying one last, final word, "Mom."

Chris's head shot towards him in shock and Wyatt had to sit down in order to keep himself steady. Brooke looked like she was torn between delight and incredulity. Faith just looked amused as Susan hugged her . . . her _son_ tightly, holding him against her.

"You go back to that nice, safe future that you created," she whispered, cupping his cheek tenderly. "Stay safe and I'll see you in . . . what, twenty-five years?"

With a small laugh, Connor nodded. "Roughly."

"All right, then, I'll see you then," Susan said, stepping back. Brooke came to her senses at that point and came around to hug him. Connor laughed as he hugged her back.

"Bye, Aunt Brooke," Connor said as he pulled away and looked at the two brothers. "See you, Uncle Wyatt, Uncle Chris."

"Bye," Wyatt said, still stunned while Chris just stared, unable to believe his ears as he looked towards Susan now. Connor shook his head.

"See, it is still way too weird to know you two dated," he groaned. "I'm gonna have to get major therapy to get over this." Susan laughed as she looked down at the Book at the spell.

"_A son from a dark future that came to the past,_

_To save what was not yet passed. _

_Return him now to the new time. _

_To his future, let him cross the line." _

White lights shimmered around Connor as he stood in front of them and with one last wave to them, he disappeared from sight, taking him back to the new future that he had helped create, by altering one mistake.

Brooke looked at Susan incredulously. "Your son?"

The witchlighter was just smiling at the place where he had once stood. "He will be in twenty or so years," she said softly, leaning her head back. "Anybody up for coffee?"

"NO!" Brooke yelled, startling everybody. "You are not making coffee! It's terrible and disgusting whenever you make it!"

Wyatt laughed as Susan stuck her tongue out at Brooke and Chris cracked a grin while Faith chuckled at the two girls' antics. "As much fun as this has been, I really should be getting back to work," she said with a sigh. "Your mom's gonna kill me as it is, so . . . anybody mind giving me a ride?" she asked nervously.

"I'll take you," Chris offered. "I'm fine," he added to everyone's anxious expressions. "Whatever that stuff was that you gave me, Sue, it worked."

"And I'm cutting him off," Faith added.

"Good, because he's underage," Wyatt informed her. "But don't worry, Mom's not gonna find out about it. And if she does, I'll smooth things over, make sure she knows that it wasn't your fault, it was this idiot brother of mine," he said, glaring at his little brother.

Chris made a face at his brother as he offered Faith his arm. Faith took it and he orbed her away, heading towards P3. Wyatt sighed, running his hands through his blond hair as he looked towards his girlfriend.

"I should probably be heading home, I need to get a least a couple hours of studying in before I crash," he said dryly.

Brooke nodded, though she looked disappointed as she kissed him passionately. Susan pointedly looked away. "Yeah, I should probably do the same, since I've got that Math final tomorrow," she groaned. "Whoever invented math, I'd like to have a talk with him and give him a good kick in the butt."

"Brooke!" Susan and Wyatt said with a laugh.

"What? You can't argue with me, it's an evil creation that was made to make our heads spin and explode while our eyes go cross. Everyone in that class has already done it."

Susan paused as she picked up the Book, looking over at the nymph-witch worriedly. "Okay, I think I've been living in the supernatural world for too long. That was just a metaphor, right?" she sought to confirm. Wyatt snorted as Brooke nodded reassuringly. "Okay, just checking. Well, I guess then, we're taking a late night study group."

"I thought you were too busy worrying to study," Brooke told her.

Susan sighed. "I'm still worried, but I also know that if something happened to him, I would know. I mean, it's Ethan, I always know when something's wrong. Plus, with all my premonition power that I'm getting lately, I really think that the Powers will send me a sign if something were to happen to him—"

No sooner had she spoken did the sound of shimmering appear in the living room, followed by a loud thud.

Susan was the first one to react as she raced towards the fallen half-demon who was lying motionless on the ground. "Ethan!" she shrieked as she knelt down beside her boyfriend, turning him over. He moaned as she did so, his eyes closed.

Looking over him, Susan realised just how badly he was hurt. There were burns and cuts marred across his body and she could sense his exhaustion as she navigated his head into her lap. There was blood, a lot of blood coming from his wounds. "Wyatt?" she asked, looking around at him. "Can you heal him?" Her eyes were desperate.

The witchlighter in question frowned as he knelt down beside the lovers, uncertain. "I don't know, Sue, I mean . . . I don't mean any disrespect here, but he is a demon. I'm not sure if I _can_ heal him."

"But half of him is human," Susan protested, her blue eyes wild with fear and panic. "Can't you heal his human half?"

Wyatt swallowed at her desperation and gave in. "I'll try, but I'm not promising anything," he warned her as he held his hands over Ethan, who was moaning in Susan's arms. Susan wasn't even entirely sure if he knew where he was or that she was right there next to him.

The familiar healing glow appeared from his hands and passed over Ethan, showering him in its light. Wyatt let out a slow breath. "I think I can heal most of it, but there's a lot of damage," he told Susan. She turned white at his observation and her grip on her boyfriend tightened. "I can't heal all of it, I can only heal enough to save him."

"That's enough," Susan said in relief as Brooke stood hovering nearby. "Brooke, why don't you get some bandages and stuff?"

"Okay," Brooke said appreciatively, grateful to have something to do as she hurried away, running towards the bathroom to get the stuff that Susan had asked her for.

"What do you think happened to him?" Wyatt asked her as he continued to heal Ethan, well aware of how his healing power was starting to reject healing the man in front of him, the demon part of him. "Did . . . did the Amazons . . ."

"I don't think so," Susan said softly as she peered at some of the injuries. "Some of these are scorch marks and as far as I know, Amazons don't have that kind of power. That's a demonic power."

Wyatt nodded as he pulled his hands away. "I'm sorry, that's all that I can do for him. It won't let me do any more."

With a gasp, Ethan sat up straight, gasping for breath. Susan grabbed him, pulling him back down against her, smoothing his hair down gently, soothing him. "Shh, shh, Ethan, it's okay," she told him. "Ethan, it's me, it's Susan. I'm here. Just calm down, you're safe."

His eyes stared furtively up at her for a long moment. "Susie?" he whispered, almost uncertain, as though not daring to hope.

She smiled down at him, willing herself not to cry. "It's me," she assured him. "It's me, Ethan. I'm here. I'm right here. I've got you."

He licked his lips, letting out a deep, shuddering breath as he reached up and touched her face tentatively. Susan reached up and covered his larger hand with her own. "Susan?" he whispered again and this time, she knew that he recognised her. "It's you?"

"It's me," she told him. "Ethan, what happened?"

He grasped her other hand with his and gripped it tightly, still taking deep breaths. "Susie . . . the Amazons . . . they're all gone."

**--Fade to Black--**

**End Credits**

Guest Stars:

Eliza Dushku as Faith McKnight

Jensen Ackles as Eugene Maxwell A.K.A. "Max"

Freddie Highmore as Connor Hale

Alexis Bledel as Patty Matthews-Mitchell

Holly Marie Combs as Piper Halliwell

and Robert Pattinson as Ethan Hale


End file.
